Gifted Curse
by KLFoxglove
Summary: Jake is a runaway. Whilst saving a vulpix from a mysterious group of people, he is beaten to the brink of death. Then, a nearby ninetails steps in to save his life...DISCONTINUED
1. Somber Song

Helloooo. It's been a while since I wrote a story, and I thought that writing a fan-fiction would really help in reviving my writing skills. :). Crits are well appreciated.

FYI

"Normal Talk"

"Pokemon Talk"

Thoughts.

* * *

Gifted Curse

Chapter One

Somber Song

It was quiet in the Ryder Forest. Too quiet. The various bird pokemon who made this their home were quick to fly away and hide. But from what? The small array of bug pokemon had also turned to hide. But why? The answer soon became clear.

A boy, no older than ten, no younger than eight, was running frantically through the wild forest. In his arms, a young, clearly frightened Vulpix. The fox pokemon made no effort to wriggle free, as if it were frozen in fear, eyes shut tight, paws across face, shaking madly. The boy had a determined look upon his face, he frequently looked behind him.

Not too far from him, three men were in hot pursuit. Faces just as determined as the boy, but much more agitated. They frequently shot profanities at him.

The boy showed signs of tiredness, but did not give up. He was breathing heavily, he had been running for a while. The men were fast catching up, having more stamina than him, but he kept going.

He wanted to protect that Vulpix from these men. They wanted it. For what reason, the boy did not know. By taking the Vulpix in his arms and running away with it he put himself at risk, but he was a reckless boy who did not think of consequences. He did not care if he were in danger, he just wanted the Vulpix safe and happy.

THUD. The boy has come to a sudden halt as he tripped over an exposed tree root he failed to notice. The Vulpix rolled out of his grasp and onto the soft green grass in a heap, it quickly got up.

"Quick, run away, you're much faster than me on your legs!" The boy said hurriedly. The Vulpix did not need to be asked twice, as it quickly turned around and ran faster than it had ever ran before. Before the boy himself could regain his posture, the men were on him. Surrounding him, they looked none too happy.

"Where is it?" One asked, harshly. "Tell me, boy!"

But he didn't reply. He looked up at them with a frown on his face, now in a sitting position. One of the men reached out and grabbed the boy by the collar.

"ANSWER US YOU DAMN KID!" He screamed, directly into the boys ears. The scream was loud enough to hurt his non sensitive ears.

"It's gone," He finally spoke, "It ran off when I tripped up"

"In what direction?" Asked the shortest of the men, to the left of the guy holding the boy.

He was silent. Of course, he knew which direction the Vulpix ran to, but he wasn't keen on revealing it. "Like I'd know," He lied.

The man holding him slapped him across the face, it stung madly, the boy wanted to cry, but held back.

"Don't play games!" He roared, "You know where that damned Vulpix is, and you're going to tell us!"

The boy fell silent again. He knew he'd probably get beaten up if he continued to lie to them, but despite bieng scared of the consequence of his actions, he still refused to tell. The men spent a further two minutes questioning and hitting the boy until they gave up, and started venting their frustrations at him by throwing him to the floor and kicking him with no mercy.

Some distance away, hidden in some thick bushes ontop a piece of risen land, a Ninetails stood surveying the scene. Alongside her was the very same Vulpix the boy had rescued. It looked pained.

"AuroraFire!" It bellowed, "The human! He.."

"Yes" The Ninetails interrupted calmly, her voice gently soothing the frightened pup, "I can see. I don't understand how humans can do this to each other, such cruelty!"

Normally AuroraFire, as the Ninetails was named, would not care much for humans. She grew up on stories that humans were cruel and ruthless, and she had certainly come across such biengs in her time for her to believe so. But this boy, she felt, was different. For one, her extra-sensitive nose, more sensitive than any other Ninetails, was telling her that the boy's scent was not the same as the three men, whose scent she affiliated with cruel humans.

Secondly, she had witnessed to boy urging the Vulpix, an immediate relative of hers, coincidentaly, to run away. The pup's story of his experience also told her that this boy was no normal human.

"AxlFyn," AuroraFire turned to the Vulpix, "Go back to the pack, warn them that there are humans nearby, I shall stand and survey this incident further, understand?" The Vulpix looked back at the boy, who was now losing consiousness, and then back at AuroraFire. He was torn, he wanted to listen to his family member and warn the pack, but he also did not want to leave the boy there.

"Don't worry," The Ninetails reassured AxlFyn, "I will personally make sure your savior survives,"

He stood for a moment, giving a lasting glance at the human boy, and then ran off. AuroraFire turned her attention to the boy again. She was hoping the men would stop any moment now, and leave the boy, but they didn't. She knew then that they had the intention of killing him.

She didn't know what to do. It was against all Vulpix and Ninetails nature to aid a human, unless they actually grew up alongside a kind human. But AuroraFire was a wild Ninetails, not a tame one.

"He's gunna die, heh," The short man snickered. AuroraFire scrunched her nose. "Wonder if his head will crack open,"

Before the man could try out his plan, AuroraFire was bounding out of her hiding place, and stood between the men and the now unconsious boy. She snarled and bared her sharp teeth. The men nearly jumped a whole foot backwards, they had not expected a fully grown Ninetails to suddenly show up and threaten them.

She growled louder. She decided to hurt these men if they did not go away within the next minute. She needn't have worried about that, because at her third growl, the men quickly ran off into the direction they came from. She was satified with the result, but wondered if she had done the right thing. And if she did, was she too late?

She turned towards the boy. He was covered in cuts and bruises, his worst injury bieng the one on his head, it was bleeding furiously. She gently nudged him. He groaned, but did not wake. She nudged again. And again. And again. But he still remained unconsious. She was panicking, worried that she had acted too late. Her ears lay flat against her head, she didn't know what to do. He was going to die, and she could do nothing to help.

"What if.." She started, but then quickly shook her head. No, she thought, I can't. He'll be in more danger than he is now.

What AuroraFire was pondering was if she could use her hidden power to heal him, the infamous Ninetails curse. A part of the well-known curse was rapid healing, and this would greatly help the boy to live. However, the other effects of the curse had to be taken into consideration, too. Even though this boy was worth saving, he didn't deserve the full curse.

But then, she thought about AxlFyn. He left to warn the pack of humans bieng in the forest, and left with the hope that AuroraFire, a bieng AxlFyn greatly admired, would save the boy. She cringed at the thought of having to tell him the human died, when he had depended on her to save him.

It was then she ultimately made her decision.

Concentration heavily, each of her nine tails rose to the air, and she started glowing a soft blue. She then placed a paw on the dying human's chest, and watched him start to glow too.


	2. No Hard Feelings

This chapter is shorter than the other. Oh well, nobody's perfect. Also, Making things bold and italic doesn't seem to work with me. grumblemoan.

Also, Thanks for the C2+, FoxyJosh! And thank you for commenting, Cevaztyen! BTW, I LOVE your story!

* * *

Gifted Curse

Chapter Two

No Hard Feelings

He felt terrible. Sick to the stomach. He was groggy, and was struggling to remember what happened before he passed out. Then, he jolted upwards. He pressed his fingers against his forehead, and felt no pain. He then checked his entire body, noticing that he had no injuries on him. It was strange, he clearly remembered getting beaten, probably getting close to death, and that he had at one point coughed up blood. But now, his injuries were fully healed, and he felt no pain whatsoever.

He then heard a noise to his right.

And smelled something strange.

He turned his head to find that there was a Ninetails standing directly to his right, looking right at him. He had heard many tales and legends surrounding this pokemon, and did not feel very safe in the presence of one. He started backing off, while still sitting down.

"Don't back off" She said. She SAID. He was trying to register why she was speaking clearly, "I mean no harm"

"How?" Now he found it hard to get his words right, "How, how, uh.." The Ninetails knew what he wanted to ask.

"You have the ability to understand the pokemon language, now, so don't be afraid" She said softly, sitting down.

He then turned his attention back at his mysteriously healed body, and quickly looked back at her, eyebrow raised high in confusion. His head had registered that he could now communicate with pokemon, but it was still baffled at his nonexistant injuries.

"How am I fully healed?" He asked, nervous no more, "I remember bieng beaten 'till I puked blood"

His choice of words didn't impress her very much, as one of her ears indicated (it dropped down onto her head), but nonetheless, she thought about the question. Of course she knew the answer. She just wondered wether it was a good idea to tell him. She wasn't sure how he'd react.

"Y'gonna answer me, then?" The boy demanded. His attitude caused the Ninetails to swing both ears flat on her head, she wasn't happy to tell him. But she knew he needed to know sooner or later.

"I cursed you," She answered. She then looked to the ground, "to save your life,"

The boy leaned back against a tree behind him, staring at the Ninetails, who had lifted her head up again and stared directly back at him. She noticed his bright blue eyes at that moment, and her ears dropped sadly. "I'm sorry" she muttered.

The boy continued to look at her. He was also looking at her eyes. "Why are you apologising?" He asked. Her ears perked a bit in confusion. "If you had done that to save me, then you shouldn't be apologising. In fact, I owe you one, for what you did. Thanks,"

He is very different, She thought, Not a normal human at all.

"My name is Jake, by the way," The boy spoke. He gave her a soft smile.

"I am AuroraFire, of the Ryder Pack," She replied, bowing her head in respect. "You are the most kindest human I've ever come across,"

Jake was surprised. He knew he wasn't the only human on the entire island of Somber who was kind. He felt sorry for AuroraFire, as this meant that she had faced cruelty in past meetings with humans. "Does that mean, that, every other human you've come across has been mean?". AuroraFire nodded.

"Oh, wait," Jake suddenly said, making AuroraFire's ear's perk up, "I nearly forgot, if I am now cursed, what sort of effects should I be getting?"

AuroraFire nearly forgot this as well. "Your senses are heightened, stamina increased, and," She paused for a moment, "You may start transforming into a pokemon,"

Jake took all this in carefully. "Kay," He replied, "I'll live with it."

AuroraFire was taken aback. "Seriously? You're fine with it?"

"Yes. I am," Jake replied. In truth, Jake was nervous and slightly scared at the "transformation" part of the curse. Of course, he already heard the legend so many times before, but since the story was always different everytime he heard it, he needed AuroraFire herself to tell him the exact curse.

"If you're okay, and have finished asking questions, then you should leave" AuroraFire stated, standing up, "Humans aren't tolerated this far into the forest,"

Jake sighed, and stood up. He had deep respect for nature. AuroraFire turned her back on Jake and started leaving. He speculated that her home was in that direction, and so he left the opposite way, hands in pocket.

This turned out differently to what I'd planned, Thought Jake, Like it matters much, bieng cursed that is.


	3. Supersense

Soooooooooooooo sorry for the long wait! I keep getting plauged by writer's block. (All the freaking time!). Also, I do comicz too. They have an update routine. Thing.

Anyway, on with the story.

* * *

Gifted Curse

Chapter Three

Supersense

All she could think about while walking back was Jake.

She didn't understand why she was worrying about him. She'd met humans before in the past, she'd even cursed one before Jake . She tried shrugging it off, putting it down to him being a different kind of human. She wondered if he'd really be able to cope with the curse.

Or if he could manage it on his own, on this unusual island.

Before long, AuroraFire caught the scent of someone familiar, a Ninetails named Willowisp, her immediate cousin. A few seconds later, she could see him.

He was sleeping. Something he probably shouldn't have been doing, but he quickly woke up when he heard AuroraFire walking up to him. Looking up, he noticed who it was, and frantically got to his feet, ears flat back.

"L-lady AuroraFire, I wasn't sleeping.." he stammered, obviously embarrassed.

"Tut tut, Willow, you're a sentry guard, you should be on watch," AuroraFire replied, rather playfully. When she realised he wasn't getting the joke, she giggled, "Don't worry, I won't tell grandfather,"

"You take things too easy, Aura," Willowisp replied, more relaxed than he was before. "I mean, seriously, you, the grandaughter of the Alpha's, of all the Pokemon.."

"I don't always take things too easy, Willowisp," AuroraFire retorted, using his full name as emphasis, "In fact, I have been successfull in driving away the human threat,"

Willowisp didn't look very surprised. It seemed that AuroraFire was known for bieng both easygoing and serious, a rare trait to find in a pokemon such as a Ninetails. He raised his head, and ears, and turned towards their pack, he looked back at AuroraFire.

"We'd better go tell the others, then"

The good news spread like wildfire. Ninetails and Vulpix were quick to reappear and regroup back into an organised pack. Out of nowhere, AxlFyn appeared to AuroraFire. He had a wide grin on his face. AuroraFire thought he was going to ask about Jake, but he said something entirely different.

"Mother and Father want to see you, AuroraFire," He was still smiling like an idiot. "Like, now"

She pouted. It wasn't as if she hated speaking to the Alpha's, it was just that they were also her grandparents. She never knew if they wanted to speak about serious matters, or if they wanted a general chat. At this moment, she felt it was the former.

* * *

She knew exactly where the alpha den was. As their granddaughter, she had privelaged access, just like the pupsitters, daugters, sons and Elite Guard, the Alpha's right-hand pokemon. Of course, bieng a granddaughter meant that AxlFyn, the energetic little Vulpix, was also her uncle. As awkward as it sounded, she, and every other member of the pack found this perfectly normal.

When she arrived at the den, it was her grandfather, Alpha FireCracker, who greeted her. He gave her a serious look, and AuroraFire lowered her head in submission. She didn't like the look of this.

"AxlFyn tells me he was saved by a human," He started, looking down at AuroraFire, "And tells me that you are a witness. Now, tell me, AuroraFire, is AxlFyn telling the truth?"

AuroraFire wasn't happy. One, AxlFyn had naively told the Alpha's about Jake, and two, FireCracker didn't seem to happy about it. "He was telling the truth, Grandfather. There was a human," She could have easily lied and told him that there was no human, but she knew she'd be getting AxlFyn into trouble. That, and she would never lie to the Alpha's.

"Are you serious, AuroraFire?" Spoke SoulDew, AuroraFire's Grandmother. "Was there really a human like the one AxlFyn described?" Unlike FireCracker, SoulDew spoke with a softer, calmer voice.

"I would never lie to you, Grandmother, I am very serious," AuroraFire replied, looking straight into the Alpha's eyes.

"Then, tell me about this boy, AxlFyn was bieng vague in his version of the story," SoulDew replied, sitting down in front of her granddaughter. FireCracker did the same. AuroraFire also proceeded to lift her head. She explained to them the story, but didn't tell them about the curse part.

The Alpha's dismissed AuroraFire after she finished telling her story, she left quickly, in order to avoid any further questions. She was already feeling too awkward with the situation. She decided to then look for AxlFyn. She had a bone to pick with him.

When she found him, he was playing with some of the other young Vulpix of his age, tugging each others' ears and tails, wrestling playfully. Like all pups.

"AxlFyn," AuroraFire said sternly. He immediately perked up, but didn't like the vibes his relative was giving him. He said something to his friends, and left them to talk with AuroraFire.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" He said, his ears flat back. AuroraFire looked at him sternly, this little vulpix knew he was in deep, she wanted to emphasise that. "If it's about that boy, then I'm sorry! But I thought that mother and father would want to know about a human that kind!" He hung his head in shame, but then shot back up again. "Oh yeah, did, did he surive?"

By then AuroraFire had cooled down a bit, she looked down at her young uncle. She knew he would ask, and she knew just what to say. "Yes. He did survive. I kept my promise,". AxlFyn looked as though he was going to explode with happiness, he jumped about, giggling and smiling madly, then ran to AuroraFire and nuzzled her affectionately. She returned it, she was happy seeing him happy.

* * *

Jake was still in the forest. Despite his enhanced abilities, he got lost trying to find his way out of the dark forest. However, he no longer could smell any Ninetails or Vulpix, so he felt relaxed, sort of.

"Jeez, I got myself in, so how the hell do I get out?" he said to himself, hands in pocket. "What's AuroraFire doing right now.."

He looked down on his feet and stopped walking. Was it really ok bieng cursed? Jake understood why she did it, and fully accepted it, but wasn't sure if he could really cope with it, like he had told AuroraFire. Also, would he really transform? Would it be quick, and painless? Or would it be the opposite?

"..So you both know the plan now, right?"

Jake recognised that voice.

"Yeah! That Ninetails won't know what hit it!"

He didn't like what he was hearing.

"Once it's in our possession, we'll be one step closer to victory!"

He tried to figure out where the voices were coming from.

"And what's more, that blasted boy won't be there to stop us!"

He didn't need to hear any more. He knew who they were, and what they were planning. He quickly sprinted back towards where he left AuroraFire, (discovering how fast he could now run at the same time), he needed to hurry.

He needed to warn her.


	4. Blood Rush

Veeeeeeeeeery sorry for the long wait. A bad combo of writer's block, lazyness, college, and family problems to blame.

* * *

Gifted Curse

Chapter Four

Blood Rush

Five whole minutes had passed since Jake overheard the men's conversation. He didn't know where he was going, as he had not yet picked up AuroraFire's, or any other Ninetails or Vulpix's, scent. He could, however, still smell the men, and that worried him. If they found him before he could find AuroraFire, his chances of saving her would immedeately disintergrate. One small boy on nine versous three full grown men (well, nearly full grown, one of the men were barely taller than Jake, who was four foot ten), well, you do the maths.

When his hopes started to fall apart he caught an entirely new scent. He deducted that it was a Vulpix, and his instincts were telling him and he knew this one. He decided to follow it.

Jake was figuring out how he knew the scent, he felt it was that very Vulpix he saved earlier on. The same one who got him into this mess. How he knew, since at the time he was a normal human, was beyond him. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed.

AxlFyn had only wandered out of the safety of the pack to find the river for a drink. Since he knew this part of the forest well, he felt he would do fine on his own. His routine trip was cut short when he caught a familiar scent. He got excited, and quickly forgot his thirst, and started following his nose.

When they met again, the two both felt relaxed, and AxlFyn also felt extremely excited. Jake picked up on that.

He recognises me, he's definately that same Vulpix, he thought to himself, looking down on the pup, who had started doing a bizarre dance around Jake. If he is from the Ryder pack, he probably knows AuroraFire.

Jake bent down to the pokemon's level, and scratched the vulpix's forehead when he started nuzzling his knee.

"Heya, you remember me, right?" Jake said, and caught a slight nod from the vulpix, the small pokemon obviously wasn't aware of Jake's status. "Do you know a Ninetails by the name of Aurorafire?"

Upon hearing his niece's name, AxlFyn stopped brushing himself against Jake's knee and looked up at him.

"You, you.." The vulpix backed off a bit, "What did she do to you?"

"You do know her, where is she?" Jake asked, ignoring AxlFyn's question.

He flattened his ears, he didn't like having his questions ignored. "You didn't answer me!" he said sternly, in turn ignoring Jakes' own question.

Now Jake was becoming irritated. He sat himself down properly and leaned towards the vulpix, staring irritably.

"I'm not answering yours 'till you answer mine."

Jake could tell the little vulpix was now pissed off beyond belief. AxlFyn felt like biting Jake, but knew that would do no good. Instead, he sighed and began answering Jake's question.

"AuroraFire is in the middle of pack territory, ok?" He grunted, "Now answer my question,"

"Kay," Jake sighed, leaning backwards a bit, "When I told you to run off, the guys who were tailing us caught me, and nearly killed me. AuroraFire then appeared and chased them off, but by that time I was unconsious. She then cursed me to keep me alive,"

AxlFyn listened to every word Jake said. He didn't know why AuroraFire hadn't told him what she did to Jake. "I see," He hung his head low, "I'm sorry, I'm the one that pressed AuroraFire into helping you,"

"Don't feel sorry," Jake quickly replied, he got the feeling that the vulpix was blaming himself, "I'm ok with it, really"

AxlFyn was still feeling guilt ridden, but forced himself to accept that Jake was fine with it. "But, why do you want to know where AuroraFire is?"

Jake rose to his feet so quickly that it nearly scared AxlFyn. "I need to tell her something, about those people we ran away from earlier, they're after AuroraFire!". Jake was ready to run off, but was stopped by AxlFyn, who had his ears flat back against his head.

"No! You can't just walk into the pack's territory!" He warned Jake, "Even if you explain your situation, they'll treat you badly, maybe even hurt you!"

Jake took this into consideration. He understood that the wild Ninetails and Vulpix of this forest were un-trusting of humans, but he desperately needed to warn AuroraFire before it was too late.

"But, AuroraFire is in danger, I need to warn her!" Jake pleaded.

"Then I'll warn her! Just, just don't follow me!"

The two started at each other for a moment, both as serious as the other. Jake took a step back, defeated.

"..Fine, then. But please hurry!" Jake urged. AxlFyn nodded and bounded a few steps before stopping again.

"My name is AxlFyn, by the way. And thank you for saving me earlier," He said, bowing to Jake with respect.

"And my name is Jake," Jake replied. They exchanged smiles before AxlFyn took off running once again, soon dissapearing from Jake's sight all together.

It's all up to him now, Jake thought, I hope it's not too late..

* * *

AuroraFire, in spite of what AxlFyn had told Jake, was actually resting nearby where WilloWisp was keeping watch. The two had been talking for a while before AuroraFire ended up nodding off. WilloWisp himself was close to falling asleep, and so was a little bit grumpy. Bieng a watchman is not fun.

"AURORAFIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!" Came a hyper-sounding voice. This actually slapped Willowisp to his senses, but failed to even stir AuroraFire. Willowisp noticed this.

Lazy cow, he thought. He then turned his head towards the small clearing hin front of him, where AxlFyn literally popped out of nowhere.

"Master AxlFyn?" Willowisp said, rather confusedly, "What the hell were you doing out there on your own?"

"Aaaah, WilloWisp" AxlFyn squealed, "I can't talk right now, I need to tell AuroraFire something!"

AxlFyn went bounding towards the sleeping Aurorafire, screaming her name rather loudly into her ear. When she wouldn't stir, AxlFyn resorted to bouncing on her.

Which, by the way, worked like a charm.

"AxlFyn..." AuroraFire said in a grumpy tone of voice, nobody likes having a hyperactive child jump on them while they are sleeping. Especially not AuroraFire.

"Butbutbutbutbutbut!" He squeaked, bouncing up and down, "I met Jake just now!"

AuroraFire's ears shot straight up upon hearing Jake's name. How the hell does AxlFyn know his name?

"You... What?" She questioned. Willowisp could only look on in confusion, not knowing who Jake was.

AxlFyn glanced at Willowisp (still clearly confused) and looked back up at AuroraFire. "Message concerning you," AxlFyn said, cryptically.

"What the hell are you on about?" Willowisp demanded, AxlFyn's sentance clearly becoming the breaking point of his confusion.

"Stay here and do your job, Willow, AxlFyn wants to speak to me privately,"

* * *

"Ok, so what was this 'message' then?" AuroraFire asked AxlFyn, once they were out of Willowisp's earshot.

"Well, well," AxlFyn started, sounding rather rushed, "Jake told me that the bad humans are after you!"

Oh dear, Thought AuroraFire, I should've seen this coming.

AuroraFire started pacing, thinking to herself. While AxlFyn bounced up and down on the same spot, impatiently waiting for a reply. AuroraFire had to think of something quickly. If what AxlFyn had told her were true, and she was sure it was, then something needed to be done. She would have to runaway, make the humans follow her, in order to protect the pack - her family. She had decided.

"AxlFyn," She said, finally putting an end to her pacing, while AxlFyn started listening intently. "I'm going away for a while,"

"Huh? But why?" AxlFyn inquired. This was not the reply he was waiting for. He had expected a 'quickly, go back to the pack, warn them, I'll be back shortly'. Not this.

"This is far more serious than before, AxlFyn. If we were to warn the pack again then your parents would surely be suspitious. We musn't alarm them, understand? I'll need to find Jake again, he'll be able to help me," AuroraFire explained. She hoped that AxlFyn would understand, "I won't be back for a while, not longer than three cycles, hopefully. Please don't tell Grandfather about this,"

AxlFyn was understandibly uneasy about this. He was afraid that AuroraFire would get captured, and that he'd never see her again. He was also worried that Jake would be in more danger, since AuroraFire mentioned getting his help. "O-okay.." He nervously replied. He then watched as his niece bounded off into the distance, and then out of sight.

AxlFyn knew she'd be gone far longer than just three cycles.


	5. Life As You Want It

Well, it certainly has been a while. : Sorry for not updating for so long. That's was happens when my attention span runs out. And when I get writers block at the same time. This chapter was a pain to write, so I guess that's why I didn't finish it for so long.

* * *

**Gifted Curse**

**Chapter Five**

**Life as you want it**

The more she ran, the more nervous she grew. She followed Jake's scent like a bloodhound would, yet she was still having difficutly finding the young boy. She stopped briefly, she was beginning to run out of breath. She sat down and panted lightly, she needed to catch her breath. For some reason, she could smell Jake's scent becoming stronger.

_Could that mean...?_

She spun round and saw Jake running towards her. She sighed in relief, but her job was not done yet. Now she needed to focus on the three men that endangered her pack.

"AuroraFire!" He beamed, clearly happy to see her safe. "Did AxlFyn-" Before he coud finish, AuroraFire interrupted.

_"Yes, yes, he did."_ She said calmly, "_Now, we need to focus on these humans, Jake, they are a danger to my pack,"_

"Yeah! That's what I'm worried about," Jake exclaimed quite worriedly, "But, I don't know what to about it, that's why I wanted to find you,"

She understood that. From what she knew, young humans like Jake were practically defenseless without help from others, not to mention that Jake himself wasn't that strongly built. She thought for a moment, then came up with a solution she was sure would work.

_"We should lure them away from here, _" She began, she started to pace around Jake, "_Scaring them off would be the best, but if that doesn't work then we'd need them to follow us,"_

Jake looked at her anxiously, then leaned against a nearby tree. "F-follow us?" These were the same men who nearly killed him, so the idea of getting them to chase him sounded like a bad idea to him.

AuroraFire stopped pacing and looked up to Jake, _"I can't think of anything else, unless you have an idea,"_ The expression Jake shot at her told her that he had none of his own. _"But, for this to work, we'd need to actually find them,_"

Jake began to look uneasy and started to fiddle with his fingers. "I had their scent a few minutes ago, but I lost it.." AuroraFire sweatdropped, that wasn't helpful.

Or was it?

_"..How about we retrace your steps?"_ She suggested, "_Perhaps we might find them that way,_"

"Really?" Jake didn't sound to enthusiastic, it wasn't surprising. Nevertheless, the two began to retrace Jake's steps, and before long AuroraFire had caught the scent. The two raced through trees and bushes, following a trail that seemed to go on forever. Their non-stop searching soon paid off, as they had managed to find the three men. The look on their faces when Jake and AuroraFire suddenly appeared before them was priceless.

The shortest man was the first to speak up, "What the? Didn't we kill you?!" He exclaimed with a look of horror and astonishment. Of course, when they left Jake, he was covered in cuts and bruises and was bloodied all over, while now he practically healthy, as if nothing had happened to him. For some reason, Jake felt a rush of confidence, possible from seeing the men's extremely astonished stares.

AuroraFire has almost immedeately started to bark and viciously growl, trying her best to look as fiersome as possible. Jake, wanting to use this moment to frighten the men, exclaimed, "Y'know, she's ready to kill you if you don't leave the forest," To his surprise, however, the men simply stood there, and started to flash some extremely nerving smiles that evaporated all the confidence Jake has only just gained.

"We're not cowards, boy," One of the taller men stated, "Just cause your Ninetails friends is trying to be threatening, doesn't mean that we'd become scared," At this point AuroraFire stopped growling, and began to raise her head. The man chuckled, "Given up, have you?" As he, and the other two men, started to laugh, AuroraFire let loose a powerfull Flamethrower at them, which more than definately shut them up.

"_Jake, run!_" She exclaimed. Jake didn't hesitate, and began to sprint away from the men, followed closely by AuroraFire. Behind him he could hear the men shout in anger, and could then hear them running after him. His heart raced wildly, just like when he had saved AxlFyn. This time he made sure to jump over any tree roots. After a while, Jake could no longer hear the men, and stopped running. He looked back, and saw nothing, he sighed with relief.

AuroraFire stopped beside him and started to pant heavily. "_With any luck, they may try to track us down,_" She gasped, _"That should keep them away from Ryder forest,_" She lay down on the ground, and looked to the sky. The men worried her a lot. They were a lot more aggressive than the other humans to came into the forest, and she wanted to know why they were like that. She had this plan for a while, in fact, she thought of it since last speaking of AxlFyn. The only thing she needed now was further cooperation from Jake. He was a human himself, his knowledge on the human world she never been to would be helpfull to her.

"_Jake,_" She started, looking across to him. He himself was sitting on the floor, leaning back against a tree. He looked at her, "Yeah?" He asked.

"_I'm going to investigate these men,_" She started, "_Their behaviour worries me,"_

"How are you going to do that?" Jake asked, breathing a lot more slowly than he was before.

_"I'm not sure, that's why I'll need your help again,_" She explained, Jake gave her a questioning look, "_You know a lot more about Human life than I do, that's why"_

Jake was still not quite sure why she needed his help for, but for him at that time, it was better than doing nothing. "Alright then," He replied, getting up," I'll help you,"

AuroraFire flashed a smile, and got up herself. All of a sudden, Jake started to gasp in pain.

"_What is it?_" She asked.

"Bit my tounge," Jake replied, sticking his finger into his mouth. When he pulled it out, it was covered in blood. "...And I'm bleeding,"


	6. Into The Depths

Short chapter, but hey, at least I'm _finally_ updating!

I have a bit of a writers block at the moment, I'm having trouble writing _anything_ right now, so don't expect the next chapter to come too soon.

Oh, yeah, I'm working on other stories, they're not pulished yet though.

* * *

**Gifted Curse**

**Chapter Six**

**Into the Depths**

"So this is the way out!" Jake exclaimed as he and AuroraFire left the Ryder Forest. AuroraFire simply rolled her eyes at the kid's comment, after all, finding the way out of the forest was easy for her. "Soooo, where to now?" Jake looked down at AuroraFire expecting a reply. The ninetales scanned the horizon, which was a large open field, and spotted a forest at the other side.

_"Over there,"_ she replied, taking two steps forward and lifting her paw to the direction of the forest in an attempt to point the way. _"We'll go through that next forest,"_

Jake looked at the forest with an expression that clearly showed his disapproval. "Through another forest?" He complained, "I'd rather go around it,"

_"Now now,"_ AuroraFire began, gracefully walking across the field, _"Going through it is much quicker, and I'd prefer it that way,"_ Jake, not wanting to get left behind, unhappily followed her across the field, crossing his arms in an unhappy way. His current attitude reminded AuroraFire of the young Vulpixes back at home, this made her think how old she thought Jake was, which she concluded to be fairly young. She didn't count years because most wild pokemon were ignorant of time.

"It's getting dark AuroraFire, I don't like it," Jake further complained, his expression turning into a slightly fearfull one. The ninetales rolled her eyes.

_"Oh, come now, Jake,"_ She whined, _"It's nothing to be frightened of,"_ Jake scoffed at the comment and crossed his arms, still maintaining a rather scared expression.

"I'm not s-scared, it's just **dark**" He retorted, "I've never been in a forest in the dark...," The nine-year-old shivered. It didn't help at all that he was now more acutely aware of his surroundings than he was before, as every noise, scent and sight frightened him a little each time he sensed them. AuroraFire did her best to ignore the jumpy kid, but she was finding it increasingly difficult. Before she had a chance to yell at him, she froze and thrust her nose into the air. Jake looked at her with an expression of both confusion and fear, before he finally caught on to what she was doing.

"W-what _is_ that?" He squeaked, shivering a lot more than before. AuroraFire kept a vigilant stand and gave a low growl, which did little to help Jake's nerves. Jake opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he had a chance to, both of them heard a long, low growl from the darkened abyss in front of them. Jake whimpered and inched closer to AuroraFire, who growled back and also raised all nine of her tails.

After what seemed like forever, the owner of the growl finally appeared, it was a mightyena, his head held high in pride and arrogance, and was followed by what seemed like an army of more mightyena, each growling in their own way. AuroraFire stood defiantly, while Jake simply stood speachless. The mightyena with his head held high, whom Jake believed was the leader, took a few steps closer to the two, and chuckled sinisterly, which made Jake's hair stand on end.

_"Well, well, well,"_ He bellowed, eyeing Jake and AuroraFire intently, _"If it isn't a Ninetales, no surprise there, but here!"_ He turned to face Jake, who backed up a few steps, trembling visibly. As if on cue, some of the mightyena moved to surround them, stopping them from escaping. _"Here, we have a **human**! Of all things!"_ The mightyena laughed loudly, joined briefly by a few others before stopping and looking at Jake once more.

_"It's been a while, seeing a human, that is,"_ He spoke with a mixture of dominance and manevolence. It was at this point that AuroraFire finally spoke and gained the attention of the mightyena.

_"What business do you have with us?!?"_ She yelled. The mightyena laughed once again, causing AuroraFire to growl angrily.

_"Business? Us?!"_ He repeated, stopping his laughter, _"This happens to be our patch. Our turf. Our **territory**"_ The mightyena began to make a noise that sounded like a mixture between a growl and a laugh.

_"Tresspassers like** you** aren't taken lightly,"_

_

* * *

_I'll try making the next chapter longer and more interesting, that is, if my writer's block goes away._  
_


	7. Slash

Hey, look, an update! Sorry it took so long, I was well and truly stuck on the battle scene. I really hate writing them, y'know?

Can't guarantee the next update will be swift, maybe you'll need to wait another five months or so! haha.

* * *

**Gifted Curse**

**Chapter Seven**

**Slash**

AuroraFire stood firmly with the fur along her spine standing on end, while Jake simply stood frozen in fear, carrying a very worried expression. He had never seen so many aggressive pokemon at once, and the fact that they all directed their attention towards him and AuroraFire frightened him. Aurorafire, however, felt little fear. It was mostly annoyance.

_"Who are you!?"_ She demanded, attempting to make herself sound a lot more aggressive than him. The mightyena laughed once again, sending a chill down Jake's spine.

_"If you want to know so badly, then I am Slash,"_ He announced rather proudly, puffing his chest and holding his head higher than any of his gang. AuroraFire made a sound which sounded, to Jake, like she was annoyed. She took one step forward and stared daggers into Slash.

_"Slash,"_ She said with an eerie tone, _"I bet you cannot best me in a fight,"_ Jake whimpered. _Oh, what?_ He thought, _Is she trying to pick a fight!?!_

Slash howled in laughter, he wasn't taking this seriously at all. _"Very well, then, A one on one, I assume?"_ As if they had anticipated this, Slash's gang moved in to seperate Jake from AuroraFire, and giving their leader room to battle. Aurorafire growled, Jake..

_"Worried for the human?"_ Slash retorted, snatching back Aurorafire's attention, _"Why are you so worried for it?"_ Jake clentched his fists slightly at bieng called an 'it', while AuroraFire growled, _"Aww, how nausiating,"_ Slash lowered his head for the first time since his appearance and puffed his maned neck, growling slightly.

Jake only blinked for a second before the two began fighting. Jake had seen pokemon battles on tv multiple times before, but he got the feeling that this battle was much different. _Life or death..._

AuroraFire began with a swift **Quick Attack** which Slash only barely managed to dodge. The wolf-like pokemon quickly turned to clamp the Ninetales neck with a well-timed **Bite**. She yelped briefly in pain but ignored it to focus on shaking the black mass off her neck. _He's not letting go.. time for some **Payback** I think.._. She craned her neck towards Slash in a hasty attempt at reaching his neck, but realised that this was impossible with him still holding a vicegrip on her own neck. Instead, she dived for one of his legs and mimiced his bite attack as her own **Payback**. The double damage-dealing move was enough to force Slash to release his hold on AuroraFire's neck, allowing her to quickly back off in a defensive stance. Ignoring the searing pain his front-right leg, he turned to face the fox once again.

_Clever. Using Payback to deal double the damage I caused with Bite,_ He thought to himself, _I know what I could do next.._

Jake looked on in both awe and fear as the two pokemon attacked, countered and seperated. He didn't recognise AuroraFire's second attack, but wondered why she wasn't using any of her fire attacks. The nine-year old looked at her opponent, the slightly injured Slash, and noticed him begin to puff his chest out. _..? what move is that? Taunt?_ He thought to himself, _No, I don't think it's taunt... What is it?_

AuroraFire, on the other hand, knew what move Slash was attempting. _..!! **Swagger**!_ She growled lowly, _I have to act fast!_. She quickly enveloped her entire body with a soft blue glow which made Jake gasp with amazement. _This should do... I hope_.

Slash let out an ego-filled huff and subsequently growled at his opponent once he realised what she had done. _Safeguard, stupid fox._ He turned around and angrily kicked dirt into AuroraFire's direction in an improvised **Sand-Attack**. The move caused Aurorafire to buckle in an attempt to prevent any of the dirt particles from getting in her eye.

And it also made Jake stumble and fall.

One of the mightyena that surrounded Jake retaliated with a powerfull bite on Jake's right hand. "AAH!" The nine year old couldn't help but yell in pain, the bite was so strong it drew blood. AuroraFire spun around as soon as she heared the yell. _Jake!!_ Just as quickly as he had grabbed it, the mightyena let go, and Jake grabbed his injury with his other hand and squeezed it in a weak attempt at lulling the pain.

_Silly mistake, you stupid fox_

Slash, not wanting to miss the oppurtunity, lunged forward and gripped AuroraFire's neck once again. The attack was so unanticipated, that it nearly winded and toppled her. She began to wriggle and move about to try to shake him off, but to no avail. _He's so strong..!!_

_Urgh, that was unfair!_ Thought Jake, holding an expression was screamed that he was in pain, but also attempting a half-hearted glare. _She was distracted, that was unfair!_

AuroraFire stopped moving around and simply stood in one place, panting heavily with Slash maintaining his hold on her. _He won't be stupid enough to allow me to attempt another Payback_, She thought to herself, growling, _Perhaps..._. Without warning, she dived into a forward roll, taking Slash so completely by surprise that he actually let go. Before he could recover, AuroraFire was back on her feet.

And releasing a vicious torrent of flames at him.

**_Flamethrower!_** Thought Jake pleasingly. This was the move he had been anticipating since the beginning of the fight.

Once the flames died down, a very exausted looking Slash stumbled about trying to keep his footing. He glowered at Aurorafire menacingly, while she returned the expression. Knowing that it wouldn't be wise to continue challenging her in his condition, he runs off. The other mightyena that surrounded Jake follow suit, not paying any attention to Aurorafire at all. The Ninetales watches them run off into the night. _Thank the heavens for that_, Then a sudden wave of realisation hit her _Jake!_ She turned to Jake's direction to see him clutch his injured hand, and ran over to him.

_"Jake, are you alright?"_ She asked with concern. The black-haired kid smiled painfully at her, trying to give some reassurance but failing miserably. _"Those dreaded dogs! You were not part of the fight, they had no right to inflict damage on you!"_

"Don't worry about it!" Jake quickly said, trying his best to smile reassuringly. "I've had worse, you know that!". AuroraFire sighed. Jake was right about that, however his injury was still bleeding, and that could be a problem. These thoughts, however, were pushed aside when she caught scent of an unfamiliar pokemon. Almost a second later, Jake also caught it. She whirled around to see three Ninetales and a young Vulpix. She was about to take a defensive stance, but noticed that none of them had any hint of malice in their expressions or body language. One Ninetales, a female, AuroraFire could tell, with a small black dot beneath her right eye, stood forward before her company.

_"Identify yourself, fellow Ninetales,"_ She spoke with a calm, gentle voice, but held a hint of dominance. It was clear to Aurorafire that she was the leader. AuroraFire wasted no time in hesitation, taking a proud stance before speaking. Jake simply looked on nervously.

_"I am AuroraFire, I come from the Ryder Forest, and this" _she motioned her head towards Jake, _"is Jake, he is an aquaintance of mine, and he means no harm,"_

The Ninetales studied both very carefully, in particular Jake's injury. She looked back at her company and exchanged glances before looking back at AuroraFire again.

_"AuroraFire of Ryder, I am SandCrash, this forest in which you stand is Vanity, my home," _She motioned all around her, _"I trust you enough to allow you to stay, for I, as well my family behind me, have witnessed your battle with Slash,"_

_"You saw that? I'm surprised I didn't sense you earlier,"_ AuroraFire mused curiously. SandCrash smiled sweetly and walked forward.

_"Indeed we saw that. Slash and his gang have been a menace to our home for a long while now, I am happy that someone like you has come and shown him his place, this bieng something I have failed to achieve,"_ SandCrash looked oddly downtrodden by this point, which prompted one of the other Ninetales to come along beside her.

_"You have tried, at least, my Lady,"_ He said softly. SandCrash lifted her head back up again, and turned to face Jake, whose hand had, by now, thankfully stopped bleeding.

_"I express concern for your human here," _She told Aurorafire, Jake huffed at bieng reffered to as an object again, _"His hand may need to be looked at, has it stopped bleeding?"_

Without any concern for the concequences, Jake half-heartedly stated "Yeah", but made a face once he realised that he'd answered her. _Ah, they're gonna ask about that now. Oops_. SandCrash looked to AuroraFire, who was unfazed, _"He understands?"_ the ninetales questioned.

_"Yes, he does,"_ AuroraFire sighed, _best to avoid how, for now,_ _"But should we concentrate on his hand for now?"_ she diverted, bieng honestly more concerned for Jake's injury than anything else.

While she was still confused over Jake's ability to understand her, SandCrash understood and respected AuroraFire's higher concerns. _"Yes, follow me, I shall lead you to a place where we can clean the bite wound,"_ She stated, beginning to walk off. _"And while we do that," _She stated, turning to face the two with a grim expression.

_"You might as well learn of Slash's other abilities",_ she stated.

Staring at Jake in particular.


End file.
